New York's Empire State Development (ESD) announced Jan. 16, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the completion of the first phase, and the start of the second phase, of construction at the historic Michigan Street Baptist Church in Buffalo.
The initial portion of the work included a stabilization effort of critical structural components of the church, funded through grants from ESD and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), along with other state and federal sources.
According to an ESD press release, Phase Two involves a $2.2 million effort to expand the church's facilities, including a two-story addition to further ensure the building's structural integrity. In addition, it will address safety and programming needs at the church, while also providing better access for disabled visitors.
The Buffalo Niagara Freedom Station Coalition (BNFSC), a not-for-profit organization that owns the church, is one of the recipients of a part of ESD's $65 million East Side Corridor Economic Development Fund that aims to help boost tourism and visitation to Buffalo's historic Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor, which includes four main commercial areas along Michigan, Jefferson, Fillmore and Bailey avenues.
ESD is collaborating with a consortium of philanthropic partners known as "East Side Avenues," managed by the University at Buffalo Regional Institute. East Side Avenues provides funding for staff and programs for the Heritage Corridor Commission — of which the church is an anchor institution — to best complement and leverage capital funds provided by ESD and OPRHP.
"Our collective goal is to create a unified tourist destination that will tell the story of Buffalo's contribution to African American history, while attracting new visitors to the region," Empire State Development President, CEO, and Commissioner Hope Knight said in a news release.
"We are strengthening Buffalo's cultural tourism potential by creating a hub of activities for visitors that includes the Michigan Street Baptist Church, the Colored Musicians Club, Nash House and the Nash Lofts multiuse building. Capital investments in all the corridor projects will improve the visitor experience and better connect the assets to each other and downtown Buffalo."
ESD noted that BNFSC works to preserve and promote the heritage of the Michigan Street Baptist Church, located at 511 Michigan Ave. The church was completed by African Americans in 1849 and was the last stop on the Underground Railroad for freedom seekers escaping to Canada before the Civil War.
In 1974, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Second Phase Addition to Have 19th Century Look
Construction activities in the project's second phase will include an addition to the north side of the church designed to mirror a typical structure that would have existed in the neighborhood in the late 1840s. It will provide accessibility to the upper and lower levels of the church, as well as updated restrooms.
The structure's finish materials will be brick and stone veneer, and its windows will have segmental arch brick headers and precast sills. The porch railing system is constructed with turned pickets and larger square newels and intermediate posts, ESD noted, with the porch stair serving as a first-floor front door, typical of the raised stoop buildings that used to populate the neighborhood. Additionally, handicapped access is at the rear of the expansion at a split level.
A $2.2 million ESD grant has gone toward the second phase's restoration and rehabilitation work to make this cultural cornerstone accessible to all in the community. Previously, New York State supported the first phase of the Buffalo project through a grant of $900,000 from ESD, and a $375,000 grant from OPRHP to aid in the structural stabilization of the building.
"It has been a privilege to witness the restoration and development of a church built in 1849 by freedom seekers into a local and national historic site," said Lillie Wiley-Upshaw, chairperson of the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor Commission board, and chair of the BNFSC. "The [BNFSC is] thankful for the ongoing support from the Buffalo area community and our funders."
Investments Boost African American Heritage Corridor
ESD's press statement added that with support from Gov. Kathy Hochul, the corporation implemented the funding "to spark revitalization of Buffalo's east side through investments to … traditional main streets and commercial corridors through the preservation of historic buildings, investing in capital improvements in neighborhood assets, expansion of commercial opportunities, improvements to infrastructure, as well as the promotion of mixed-use private investment in these neighborhoods."
Last June, Hochul also unveiled a "Regional Revitalization Partnership" (RRP) with philanthropic organizations and local government, which will involve a $300 million combined investment in east Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Rochester. Under the RRP, the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor and its anchors will receive another combined investment of $30 million to help get its strategic primary plan completed with ESD funding.
"For more than 50 years, Bishop William Henderson presided over the Michigan Street Baptist Church, and actually saved the church — an iconic and irreplaceable piece of Buffalo's history — from demolition," explained New York State Sen. Tim Kennedy. "As we celebrate this milestone, we know he is with us in spirit. It is fitting that we open these doors on a day honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"Both Dr. King and Bishop Henderson inspired a new generation of engaged citizens and encouraged them to not only move our community forward by looking ahead, but by preserving the history that has led us to this very moment."
In 2001, the Buffalo Niagara Freedom Station Coalition, a not-for-profit organization, was created to protect and promote the Michigan Street Baptist Church building as a beacon of freedom, to tell its story from its founding in 1845 to today, and to inspire and educate future generations, according to the ESD news release. The board focuses on the church's role in the Underground Railroad, the formation of the Civil Rights Movement, and other chapters of American history related to the struggle for individual liberties.
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